Merely A Promise
by RicePaper
Summary: AU: That stopped her from lunging at him. This youkai, this hanyou had managed to attack her, bite her, tried kissing her in the girl’s bathroom all within twentyfour hours time, now he was putting weird ideas of soulmates in her head. Inu X Kag
1. A Hanyou' s Mark

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Summary: That stopped her from lunging at him. This youkai, this _hanyou_ had managed to attacked her, bite her, tried kissing her in the girl's bath room all within twenty-four hours time, now he was putting weird ideas of _soul mates_ in her head. 

Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

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~ Merely A Promise ~

The only reason why he wouldn't stop, is merely because of a promise

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Chapter 1 – A Hanyou's Mark.

A blur of movement, a flash of red and white, a torch clattering on the concrete ground, yellow beam of light flailing wildly and finally stopped. She felt the sharpness of claws pressed onto the base of her throat as the alley was became once again silent.

There was no time for her to prepare, no time to make a grab at the long dagger hidden on the inside of her coat. 

Higurashi Kagome looked up with calmness that she didn't feel at a pair of golden eyes staring down at her. One time she was the Hunter, now, the hunted. At least she had been right, this person, the person who she had tracked for over a month was a youkai, after all.

Mission accomplished. 

*~*~*~*

A Hunter, he knew, only a hunter would be able to possess such calmness even at the brink of death. Inuyasha beheld her, a female that could not possible be over sixteen, dark brown eyes, almost glowing cold steel in the beam of yellow light. Black hair pooled about her, highlighted by streaks of midnight blue. 

"What's wrong, youkai?" 

He heard her ask, not in a tone of genuine concern, but in mockery. Inuyasha checked himself, there was something about her, a familiarity that puzzled him. Had he met her before? On a streets? An alley? It almost felt as though.. as though he _knew _her. 

"Have.. we met before?" He was unsure why he asked, and he certainly didn't think that a taijiya would actually answer him. 

She didn't answer. 

*~*~*~*

__

If the youkai thought he could pry information out her, he was gravely mistaken. Knowledge was the key to this game, Kagome knew, and there was no way he'll find out anything from her. Fingernails sank painfully into her palm as she struggled to hold her glare. An instinctive mask, her eyes, her slightly smiling lips, it revealed nothing. 

A Hunter lived to die, die to achieve, she had already achieve something by revealing the identity of a youkai, hasn't she? 

Her eyes reverted to face of the youkai, silhouetted by a billow of silver hair that ran all the way to his waist. His golden eyes, a color even rare for a youkai was slightly covered by his white bangs held her own as she watched him draw near, lowering his head until his silky hair slid from his shoulder and brushed against her cheek. 

She did not resist, as though held down by a magical force, Kagome did not move even as she heard a ripping sound from the side of her shoulder where the fabric of her black coat was torn open. 

*~*~*~*

__

He inhaled her lavender scent as his lips moved across the smooth, bare skin of her shoulder. When he met no resistance, Inuyasha slowly, and deliberately bit down, just enough for his canine teeth to break skin, creating two shallow mark on the pale surface. He heard her gasp faintly and smiled, gently lapping the small amount of salty tasting blood that had appeared. 

"I knew it was you.. all along.." he murmured quietly to her ears, "you don't know yet.. but you soon will…" 

What the? 

What was he saying?!

The spell between the two broke then, and Inuyasha jerked up, eyes wide with shock. He had _bit _her, _bit_ a human who had been a Hunter and tasted her blood. _What had he been thinking?! _He scrambled onto his feet, lowering his eyes to the girl, he found that she too, had looked back up at him with equal shock and alarm. 

He knew very well the consequence in marking her, in the process of biting the Hunter, he had claimed her.. his.

*~*~*~*

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End of chapter 1- A Hanyou's Mark

*~*~*~*

AN: Hehe.. the third unfinished story that I am working on , if this goes on, I might have to take off one of my other stories. 

Hunter: a group of people that hunt youkais so that they won't hurt normal people, kinda like the 'taijiya' in the original series. 

Like? Hate? Please review so I know whether I should leave this on or not!

RicePaper


	2. You Again!

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Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 2 – you again!

Sunlight filtered through the blinds of her window, showering her sleeping features in its glory. Higurashi Kagome stirred slightly under the covers; she had been awake for a while and wished that she were dead. It was all very well to convince herself that last night's event had been a dream, a illusion of her mind, yet the proof was there – two identical marks that stood out against the pale skin on her shoulder. 

Being attacked by a youkai on a mission was no news to her, the problem _was_ that the bite was not forced, lying perfectly still as he moved in, she had _allowed_ the youkai to bite her. No, She had _wanted_ him to mark her. Kagome had welcomed the stinging sensation as the youkai drew blood and even felt a touch of regret as he jerked away. 

__

What was going on? Kagome was a Hunter and it was in her nature to hate youkais. She wouldn't even bear the thought of breathing the same air as one, let alone permit one to _touch _her. "I must be losing it.." she thought out aloud, the stories of Hunters breaking under the pressure of youkai hunting was not uncommon, after all. 

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. It was a normal day and she must go to a normal school where people think normal thoughts that didn't involve being bitten by a youkai. But how was she suppose to _act_ normal after last night?!

*~*~*~*

"So he escaped,"

Kagome nodded cautiously as she studied her friend's expression. Sango and Miroku were two of the elite Hunters and are amongst Kagome's closest friends. But even with them, she found herself unable to reveal the whole truth of last night. The youkai had somehow sensed her presence and had attacked her, but escaped leaving her unharmed. Kagome had warily left out the bit about him biting her.

"But you should have reported back straight away, it's not the first time you have been attacked.."

"Not for the last five years.." Kagome protested slightly, yet under the sympathetic gaze of Sango, she could only apologise. "Sorry, I guess I was stunned.."

"That's ok, everyone makes mistakes sometimes," Sango reassured with a look of concern. "Be careful next time."

Kagome nodded, glad that the conversation was over. She hated hiding from her friends; orphaned at a young age, Kagome had quickly became friends with Sango, who was a whole two year older than her; and between the two of them, nothing was considered a secret.

The classroom had begun to fill as Sango and Miroku left for their own classes. Kagome waved back in reply as a student greeted her, smiling. It was no longer a guarded smile but a natural one that revealed a mind at ease. In this room, she roleplayed a normal girl who lived a carefree life. 

And she enjoyed it.

"Morning, Higurashi."

Defenses shot back up at that moment and she smiled _the_ smile at the boy before her. "Good morning, Hojou." Kagome replied carefully. Hojou was kind to her, perhaps a little too kind that made Kagome believe he had been a youkai on her trail. Though after further investigation, a whole two month of spying revealed that he was in fact a normal human. "Boys can do that to girls they like," Miroku had explained after the event with his hand moving almost naturally to her backside. "And you are not a unattractive female."

"I tried ringing you last night, but I guess you weren't there."

"I must have fallen asleep, I..uh.. wasn't feeling too well last night." The lie came naturally and Kagome watched a concerned look appear on Hojou's face. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hojou said. "Maybe we can see the movie some other time." 

__

The movie! She had totally forgotten about the promise to Hojou to go to the movies last night, and it wasn't the first time, too. She looked up apologetically, yet all thoughts of the movie flew out the window when her eyes met a figure standing by the door. 

A boy with golden eyes and silver hair that almost reached his back.

*~*~*~*

Golden eyes scanned the room and Inuyasha scowled at rows and rows of human, all staring back at him with a look of interest. _Simple minded weaklings_, Inuyasha decided. The race of humans changed very little, if at all in the five hundred years he had roamed Japan. 

"Uh.. your name.." 

"What?!" Inuyasha barked back and the teacher who had addressed him shrank back slightly. He grabbed a piece of chalk and scribbled 'Inuyasha' on the blackboard. The procedure was the same, he guessed, it was like the last time he went to a 'school' during the end of Sengoku Jidai.

"Just 'Inuyasha'? No.. uh.. last name?" came the uneasy question. 

"You have a problem with that?!"

"No.." the teacher evidently shark back a bit more, "not really."

His eyes swept the room again, most of the interested looks have changed to gapes of apprehension, Inuyasha couldn't help but smiling with satisfaction, until his eyes rested upon the ones of the Hunter. 

__

Even as they held fury, her eyes still radiated the amazing beauty that attracted him to her like a magnet.. just like the old times when he had been madly in love with her. But it didn't matter, she would still be his, it was just a matter of time. 

*~*~*~*

The youkai was staring at her as though he was about to swallow her whole, and to her horror, she felt herself _drawn_ to the stare as though her body was taken over. The nightmare of last night, she knew, was about to repeat itself, only in front of a class full of staring people. 

No way! No way she was going to allow that to happen! Not on her life! Kagome bit down, hard onto her lower lip until she tasted the saltiness of her blood seep to her tongue. Pain was a powerful cure, she had learnt from experience, and soon, the charisma faded.

"There is a spare seat behind Higurash", she suddenly heard the teacher say. "Uh.. Inuyasha.."

And for a moment, she was sure a flash of bewilderment had crossed his eyes as though he, too had been snapped from a trance. "Feh!" Inuyasha muttered as she watched him walking towards her. 

She knew too well that the pleasures of role-playing was quickly disappearing. 

*~*~*~*

For the first time in five years, Kagome's school lunch break was no longer enjoyable, as she closed in on the normal looking boy - if any one had considered yellow eyes norma,l at the back of the hall, away from prying eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, ignoring the instinctive reaction and the genuine desire of pinning him against a wall with the sharp knife in her bag. Though deep down, she had hoped that the youkai wouldn't attack her in broad daylight, an assault from him would only mean that she must counter, what would normal people from her school think of her then?

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, sounding unconcerned.

"I could sense your jyaki from miles away." That, had been an over statement, but Kagome didn't really care at that very moment. The youkai looked the same as last night, though without the pair of dog ears on the top of his head. He was no longer wearing the red gi, instead, he had normal pants and shirt that were part of the school's uniform on. "So," she said with emphasis on each word. "Why?"

"Cause," He replied. "I marked you."

Oh, _that_, Kagome mentally added another reason why she must kill him. "But what does that have to do with you and _my school?_"

He gave her a look suggesting she was one clueless Hunter. "When a youkai marks someone," Inuyasha explained in a tone of boredom. "They are bonded and must protect that person until he dies."

*~*~*~*

End of chapter 2 – You Again!

*~*~*~*

AN: Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who supported this story and because of that, this story will be continued.

koinu-no-ai: Nope, the last bit of chapter one (italics) was not a flash back, it's actually his action. Who's action? Well, you'll have to find out. 

byebye!: this story is taken in Kagome's time, _the_ present, not feudal Japan. It was from the idea of, 

'what if Kagome never fell into the well, but instead met Inuyasha in her own time.'

A-Frozen-Heart-Seshumaro: I continued it, don't hurt me. *hides*

Tomo*223: Danke!

Jessi (Heartsfire): yep, I've read two or three books from the nightworld series (very good series). Now that you have mentioned it, there are _a lot _of similarities.. with the vampire hunters and the soulmate theory..^_^

Amethyst Hanyou: ^_^ you surprised me, I didn't think any 1 that read 'let souls link' would read this one. 


	3. HELL NO!

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Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 3 – Hell NO!

"Protection," he added, incase the girl still had no idea what was going on. "Means that I would have to be with you at all times."

Something had happen that night, he knew, there was _no way_ he'd even be interested in a _human_ female, let alone _mark _one! But a mark was a mark, a youkai promise that must never be broken, not that Inuyasha had broken one, he reminded himself, though it wasn't as though he had made one before..

"But _I_ don't want your protection," the girl was saying. "I don't want anything from a _youkai._"

"Feh!" Inuyasha spat, "_as if _I would ever want to protect a _human._" But the truth was, that he had been surprised at her rejection, he'd never thought a mere human would reject a offer of protection from a being whose strength was several times greater than their race. "But my point is," he sighed. "It's not a option for either of us."

"Not a option for _you_", the Hunter replied. "But I warn you, come close to me again and I will not hesitate.." She stretched out her index finger and slid it horizontally across her throat. "To kill you."

With that, she turned and began to leave.

"By the way," he added behind her turned back. "I am a hanyou, if that makes you feel any better."

*~*~*~*

It was going to scar, Kagome thought miserable as she backed away from the mirror. Her hand brushed against the tiny, hard bumps near her collarbone, which tingled slightly under her own touch. The wound would eventually go away, though leaving two identical imprints permanently on her skin. 

Kami! She was going to get him for this! Inuyasha, that was the name, Kagome fumed at the thought. Not even a _youkai, _but a hanyou, a half-youkai. She was pinned to the ground last night by a _half-youkai_ and she doubt that she'd ever live it down. Another reason why she must never tell Sango and Miroku about the encounter and Kagome could only hope that neither Hunters noticed. 

"What are you doing here?"

Her first reaction was to jump in fright, the bell for class had already run and Kagome didn't think that any one would appears in the bathrooms, except for a certain hanyou. Hand reached for the side pocket for her bag where the hidden dagger laid, if he _dared_ to make a move on her, she would kill him.

"Standing," She replied monotonously, before reminding him. "This is a girl's toilet."

"How true", he purred. 

Kagome spun around, surprised at the change of his tone. Her surprised widened when she saw that he had reverted to his hanyou form. 

*~*~*~*

__

Only two of them, he thought, how perfect was it for her to wait for him, just him. The surprise in her brown eyes were gone, replaced by a dreamy, almost willing look.. He leaned toward her and saw her flinching under his touch, claws brushed through her black hair, trailing softly against the smooth skin of her cheek. 

She was still the same as he remembered her, still responsive as the moment he left, leaving her with a single promise. He hadn't wanted to leave, of course, yet she persisted, she needed time to erase her uncertainty. But now he was back and seeking for the answer he had waited for centuries. 

"I missed you," he murmured as she reached out, touching the soft, white fur on his ears, he twitched with pleasure. It didn't really matter that it wasn't wholly the same as before, he didn't have the appearance of a hanyou then, but that change could easily be used to his advantage. 

*~*~*~*

__

She quivered lightly, magnetized by the caress of his claws on her skin, her hair. Her breath came out in small gasps through her mouth. Eye half closed as she watched him draw closer, his mouth parted slightly..

HELL NO!

Eyes snapped open to their full size as she shoved him, firmly, one hand against his chest whilst the other swung up and slapped him, hard on his face. Hanyou or no, _no one _seduces _her_ in a _school bathroom_. 

She pulled her dagger out, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, eyes on the shocked expression on the hanyou's face. This was not, the second, but the third time he had her in this situation and Kagome was not about to let it pass unpunished. 

"I think we may have problem here," Inuyasha said as soon as he had regained his composure.

"You are damn right," Kagome spat back, flipping the dagger so that its tip mildly touched her arm in an attack stance. "I am going to fix it right away."

"I think we might be soul mates."

"I think either you are loosing it." Kagome retorted. This youkai, this _hanyou_ had managed to attacked her, bite her, tried kissing her in the girl's bath room all within twenty-four hours time, now he was putting weird ideas of _soul mates_ in her head.

*~*~*~*

"That, too, could be a possibility," Inuyasha muttered, more to himself as he watched the taijiya stalk off, followed by a loud crash as the door was slammed shut. 

__

You can run. A slight smile appeared on his face, he licked his lips. But you can't hide. 

*~*~*~*

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End of chapter 3- Hell NO!

*~*~*~*~

Tomo*223: No, I don't know much German actually, just a couple of words.. ^_^;;;

Durian: -_-;; aren't you glad this story is a AU, so it doesn't really link with the actually anime.. 

FireRose18: I tried to make each chapter around 1000 words, but I'll make up with frequent updates.

lindy*girl : Hey! I think I know you from the reviews of 'Let souls link'. 

Coral : mmm.. will think about that one, but the genre wasn't tragedy, so I'll avoid character deaths

Kara Noboru: K, thanks for asking.

AN: Thank you to everyone that reviewed!

Ricepaper.


	4. Instinct of Possession

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Disclaimer: I don not own Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 4 – Instinct of Possession 

"Ok, I'll see you there," Kagome replaced the phone and sighed. She had just promised Hojou to meet him for another movie. There was a reason to that, she reasoned with herself, she needed to take her mind off the hanyou.

__

Soul mates, she repeated to herself, soul mates don't exists, that's the stuff you read in fictions, making people believe that there were actually someone in the world that was born especially for them. "It's stupid," she muttered. For whatever reason he was telling her this, she was not convinced. 

"What's stupid?"

Kagome jumped out of her skin, she was definitely loosing her touch. She had excuses for not noticing the hanyou in the bathroom today, but there was no reason to not hear Sango entering, especially when she must have came through the door. 

"I'm going out with Hojou tonight," she uttered the first thing that came to her mind. It wasn't really a lie, Kagome decided, though it really did seem bizarre that she was actually preparing to go out with Hojou. He was nice to her, but going out on a date with him still seemed a little strange, especially after the two month that she had stalked him. 

"Hojou?" Sango raised an eyebrow in response.

"Yeah.." Kagome waved at the general direction of the phone. "He asked, so I thought…" 

"Have fun then," Sango paused, when the younger girl shot her an inquiring look, she sighed. "You weren't there for a whole lunch."

"Did you want me for something?" Kagome asked, forcing her self to stay calm, she had behaved quite normal for the rest of the afternoon, but had the Hunter noticed something?

"We received a mission for tonight, I tried informing you at lunch, but I guess you decided to disappear."

Kagome breathed inwardly with relief. _Sango didn't know.. yet_. "So who's the target?" she asked casually, slipping on a pair of high boots and reaching out for her dagger. She balanced it in her hand, contemplating whether she should take it with her or not. 

"A rogue youkai in area four."

"A rogue youkai?" Kagome asked, sounding surprised, rogues were rare, and a rogue in the usually peaceful area four was even more rare. "Maybe I should come after all." She said, after a moment of consideration. 

"No, that's ok", Sango replied, "Miroku and I could handle it."

Kagome studied her friend, the change in her tone did not go but unnoticed, but she asked no further. "Alright then", she said, slipping the dagger into the hidden strap inside her boot. "Be careful." 

*~*~*~*

****

"You're here! Higurashi!"

Kagome smiled nervously, what's with the surprised tone? She pondered, It was as though he wasn't really expecting to be there.. She doesn't break promises _that _easily.. does she?

It was a fifteen minute walk and Kagome had already begun to feel guilty that she was enjoying herself whilst there was a rogue youkai on the loose. Though she decided against another excuse, Sango and Miroku would more than enough for the youkai, it wasn't as though she was much of a help whilst she was out Hunting with them anyway, they were, after all, among the best Hunters. 

Kagome felt a warm hand touch hers and had the courtesy to examine whose hand it had belonged to, she was not surprised when she saw Hojou, red faced and looking at her. "A man may feel obligated to hold onto a girl's hand on a date," Miroku had told her whilst discussing one of their 'random' topics. Kagome guessed this might be one of the 'dates' he had talked about. 

She did not attempt to withdraw.

*~*~*~*

__

His blood boiled at the scene before him, the hand that dared to touch the woman he had marked, the smile directed at the woman that was HIS. 

She was HIS and his only. 

Hand went to the place where she had slapped him earlier, the stinging sensation resurfaced. It had hurt too, not just physically. He knew it had been a warning, she was not fully conscious yet and he had pushed her too far, far too much than what she was ready to accept. And now she probably hated him for it, Inuyasha dug his claws into the palm of his hand at the thought, lost for a moment in his self detesting.

No, he wouldn't allow that to happen, not after the hundreds of years he had waited, watching every female that passed him for signs of her. He had waited too long to loose her to another man now. 

Slowly, yet surely, he walked out of the shadows towards the two, pushing rage to the end of his mind. Softly now, he reminded himself, she was fragile and he didn't want to hurt her. 

"What are you doing here?" he said in a low voice and watched her as she spun around in surprise, hand already moving to the place where he was sure a hidden dagger had laid. She was wearing black tonight, just like the night when he first sensed her presence. Her pale skin became whiter contrasting with her outfit until her features glowed in a pure way. It suited her, he decided, and it suited him fine, too. 

"You're Inuyasha aren't you? I saw you in class today. I'm Hojou."

__

The man beside his woman turn also and was now watching him, there were no signs of fear on the Hojou, only surprise. Inuyasha nodded in reply, not trusting himself to speak. He had gone up human form, if his woman wanted to be with other humans, he would not embarrass her. Though you should be afraid, he thought, shooting Hojou a look of threat, very afraid..

Eyes went to her again, yet the glare he received simply told him that he was not welcomed. 

"What am I doing is none of your business," she spat back. 

__

My, he thought, she was ferocious as a lioness tonight, perhaps it was better to leave her with a little time to calm down. "I will come back.. for you," he murmured to her and turned, before the surprised look appeared on her face. It was very well, he would leave her.. if that was her wish.

Though he would be watching..

*~*~*~*

She was cold, numb and cold from the injuries she had received. The Hunter pushed herself from the concrete ground, using the wall behind her as a support, yet she knew she had lost. Lost and at the mercy of the rogue youkai. 

Youkais nowadays did not show their true form easily, one that had been caught in its youkai form by a Hunter would be immediately eliminated, it was the only reason why most youkais choose the path of hiding instead of a brutal attack. She was careless, too, walking into what must have been the youkai's territory without having to observe the grounds first. The attack from it was sudden and its strikes fast, yes, the power that allowed this youkai to survive till today without being picked off by a taijiya.

There was no way she would be able to defeat it in the state she was in now. Of course, others would be alarmed if they did not return and their death would eventually be avenged. But the problem was, she had no_ wish_ of dying.

The taijiya shot a glance at her companion, now unconscious on the ground. A small, weary smile appeared on her lips, it was really up to her now, if she did not change into her true form, they would both surely die. She too, had chosen the path of hiding, but perhaps now was the time she should wake the part of her that had laid, asleep for the past century. 

*~*~*~*

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End of chapter 4 – Instinct of Possession

Inuyasha-loves-Kagome: Yup, the italics does have something about Inuyasha's past. You are absolutely right.

Gueshoo: Inuyasha was talking about Kagome's past, your are right.

insomni-maniac: ^_^ hi there again

silvermoon10 : There won't be anyone else new coming into the fic, and I do *try * to make the chapters a little longer. ^_^ kinda keeping the chapters around 1000 words for now, but I'll update more often. 

Brie : o.0 that is one bizarre review. LOL!!

Lil_lo : it's ok, the italics are meant to be confusing at the first, and I realised that it'll confuse a lot of people when I first started writing this, but that's fine. You will understand it better as the story continues. 

Dragon Faere: Hello! ^_^. Mm, flashback when Kagome joins the Hunter.. that sounds like a good idea. And for the part when Inuyasha first met her, that was the encounter in the first chapter. 

AN: To everyone who guesses there is something about Inuyasha and Kagome's past.. you are absolutely right! But what about their past? ^_^ My lips are sealed.

RicePaper


	5. A Taste of Protection

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Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 5 – A Taste at Protection

The look the hanyou had given her surfaced again and again in her mind as the scenes of the movie glided before her eyes unnoticed. His eyes were hard, lips forming a tight line, the cold, threatening glare he had given to Hojou.. like that of a wolf guarding his den. 

__

"I will come back.. for you."

Kagome suppressed a shudder. Inuyasha was creepy, she decided, almost scary even.. the way he always seem to appear when she least expects it. What had stopped her dagger from finding its way into his throat, she wasn't sure, though it was improper, she knew, as a hunter, she had sworn to exterminate any youkai that crossed her path. But there was something that stopped her again and again from tracking the hanyou down.

__

But what?

She shivered, fully aware of the sudden rush of coldness that had sped down her spine. Inuyasha! It was her first thought, the creep had somehow followed her into the cinema without her noticing. 

Eyes darted around the darkness about her, hoping to catch some sort of movement that gave the presence of the hanyou away. Yet there was nothing, no golden eyes watching her, no silver hair glowing in the faint light of the cinema. Still, the alarm was there and she knew something had not been right, an instinctive feeling that she was not about to ignore.

"Uh..Hojou?" the next minute, Kagome was prodding Hojou, who was rather absorbed into the movie. "I, um.. have to go."

"What's wrong?" came the concerned voice, Kagome could see his face falling a little in the darkness. "You don't like the movie?"

On the screen, the protagonists were kissing passionately. "No, no," she protested, feeling mildly reddened with embarrassment. "The movie's fine, but I just remembered that there was something important that I need to do."

"Oh, ok ", He replied softly. "I wait for you then."

Kagome smiled in appreciation, Hojou was nice, but there was really no need to wait for her, though she decided against telling him that. 

*~*~*~*

Kagome relied purely on the foreboding feeling that seemed to direct her through the twists and turns of the alleys, occasionally leading her into wider streets. The sinking feeling continued to grow in the pit of her stomach as the streets became familiar to her, a fragment of memory in her mind. 

Area four

A sanctuary that she had found at a small age, a place that was relatively free of the subjects of her nightmares. Youkais.. she had been terrified of youkais back then, demons and flames that repeated itself as she drifted into the subconscious every night, that which rouse her in her bed, sweating and weeping. Childhood had been hard for her, she who feared the presence of creatures that she must live to hunt.

Back then, area four was the place which she had no need to fear whilst wandering through its streets, day or night. It was a place where she and Sango went constantly. Though she knew very well that to her friend, this place was no different to other areas in the city, Sango was different, Sango was a born Hunter. 

Yet now, as she watched the dark alley rising before her, the sense of dread expanded, begging her to turn back to the brilliant lights of the open streets that warded off shadows. She knew exactly why she was here now and her blood froze at the very thought.

__

"Who is the target?"

"A rogue youkai in area four"

It can't be. An image of Sango, torn and bleeding came to her mind. Kagome shook her head, as though attempting to fling the thought away. Sango could take care of herself, Miroku and her had taken on plenty of strong youkais and came back without a scratch, what could a rogue youkai do to them?

She took a single step onto the damp ground of the entrance, her surrounding filled with a thick silence. It was too quiet, Kagome realised, the fight must have been over already. She stood still, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimness and watched as two figures blurred from the shadows and solidified before her eyes. 

__

Sango?

The two were in an upright position by the wall, the one pinned against the stone was very muscular, blades extruded from its shoulder and elbows, scraping against the wall as the hand on its throat tightened its grip. 

The other.. 

Raven black hair crested down the slender shoulders of the second figure, covering the side of the face so that Kagome couldn't identify who it had been in an instant. But other evidence where there, the Hunter gears strapped around the waist, the black fabric of the hunting suit slightly ripped, exposing the hint of blood underneath. 

"San..go.."

The figure turned to her in response, eyes widened with surprise as though she had just noticed Kagome's presence. Green eyes, Kagome noted with dread, instead of the deep black, Sango's eyes were a shade of eerie green where the pupils became slits, the that of a cats as she faced the brighter streets.

"Sango," she whispered, as though trying to convince her self that the youkai before her was really the friend that she grew up with.

"Kagome?" A surprised voice and Kagome noticed the pair of white, sharply pointed fangs revealed from Sango's slightly opened mouth. Nails that were longer, curved and sharpened until it almost seemed like claws loosened around the other youkai and Kagome watched it crumble onto the ground. 

__

Sango..

Two conflicting instincts, one urging her to prepare to attack and the other, the part of her that had always trusted in the older Hunter resisted, refusing to see her friend as one of the hunted, one of the enemy. Black bangs fell across her eyes as she slowly lowered her head, hands clenched by her side. 

__

It had hurt..

Green eyes gazed at her gently and Kagome heard the familiar whisper from the older girl. "I'm sorry.."

She raised her eyes to Sango, her vision blurred and she felt the warmth of her tears in her eyes, down her cheek. Then instantly, the older Hunter was there, hand against her shoulder in the comforting way as she had always done every time Kagome woke from her nightmares crying. It was then that the last of the doubt was shed, even if she had to break the promise of the Hunter, she would never be able to hurt Sango.

She would never be able to hunt a friend.. 

And Kagome knew that Sango would do the same..

It would be alright to just lie once.. right? Kagome forced a sad smile, she would make one little exception this time..

Suddenly, her trained eyes caught movement behind Sango's turned back and a huge form rose from the ground. _The youkai! It's not dead! _ Her mind screamed as her eyes follow its movements that became a deadly blear. "Sango!" The warning rushed from her mouth, yet the youkai was now meters in front of her, curved claws raised to strike. Instinctively, Kagome reached out for the older girl, pushing her away from the path of the youkai.

A splash of red rose before her eyes, simultaneous with a sickening sound of claws connecting with flesh. A spurt of blood came from the wound, mixed with the black fluid of the youkai, splattering her.

For a moment, the world was still, through the red, Kagome could see iridescent silver hair billowing down the back of a familiar red haori. "I.. Inuyasha!" She cried. 

Standing before her, shielding her with his body, was the hanyou. Slowly, he turned, meeting her with a pair of stunning golden eyes. 

"It's.. the first time you have called me by name," he murmured. "I'm ..glad".

With that, he passed into a dead faint. 

*~*~*~*

****

End of chapter 5 – A Taste at Protection

*~*~*~*

AN: had to fix most of this chapter and hopefully, it sound more right now.

Now for everyone why guessed Sango was a youkai, you were absolutely right!

LuckyInu17: Confusion is k, it'll clear up pretty soon

Demongirl6381: ^_^

Brie: I don't think she minds it 'too' much, so I'll let her keep the mark for a while just for fun.

Sashlea: … how old is Sango..? Pretty old, let's just say youkais have their ways to hide themselves so that people can't really tell her age.

Nishigirl: Yes, you were right able Inuyasha's past. ^_^


	6. When Dreams

AN: a quick note to every one confused about the last chapter. Inuyasha was not the youkai who attacked Kagome, he rescued her. (read the third last paragraph of last chapter if you are still confused.) 

Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 6 – When Dreams

They had decided to skip school for that day, mainly because people bandaged in a mummy-like fashion would probably cause an ample amount of suspicion in front of the gates of one of Japan's most prestigious high schools.

The apartment was relatively empty after Sango and Miroku left, early in the morning with Sango back in her human form and Miroku without the slightest clue what had really happened the night before. Why a youkai would have joined the Hunter, Kagome had no idea and she had no wish to begin a topic on that, either. 

So it was only her left in the apartment.

Her and a certain silver haired hanyou. 

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, remembering again the sickening sights of last night. Had the hanyou not stopped the blow from the rogue youkai, she would have been dead, no human would have withstood the direct attack of a youkai's thrusting claws and lived; though as strong as she was, Kagome was still undeniably human, _she was still undeniably vulnerable. _

Then there was the red, the redness of Inuyasha's haori, the redness of his blood, so distinct against the black fluid that stank of death and decay from the wound of the youkai where Inuyasha had simultaneously struck. The sound of his haori ripping and the sound of her own voice ringing out in alarm and surprise in the darkness before he and the youkai both stiffened for a silent second. He had turned then, perhaps knowing that it had ended and looked at her. 

__

"It is the first time you have called me by name.. I am.. glad."

She could still remember the breathless flutter inside as those words reached her, remember the jolt of panic when crashed to the ground, remember pang of fear when she thought he wasn't breathing. A smile graced her lips, what a joke, she, a Hunter, worried about the life of a prey.

" Can't you be a bit more _gentle_!"

The snapping and slightly arrogant voice dragged her back to reality, dark brown eyes opened and she glared at the hanyou, who was comfortably lying on the couch beside her whilst she did her best to patch him up.. "I have never heard of a youkai in their true form," she replied dryly, pulling at the dressing non-too gently. "That needed bandaging." 

Inuyasha winced and managed to look mildly guilty at that, or at least, Kagome thought she saw a flash of guilt across his face before he yelled back. "Is that all I get for saving your worthless hide!?"

"_I_ never _asked_ you to save me" she replied, "Besides, how _did_ you know where I was last night? Were you _following _me?

*~*~*~*

"Feh", Inuyasha muttered, looking away from her demanding eyes slightly. "Why the hell would _I_ follow a wench like you!"

Truth was that he had followed her, traced her movements through the dark streets with his youkai senses that night. For what reason? He wasn't sure, after she had pointedly suggested that he had no business near her, he was ready to leave her alone with that human, _that human_, Inuyasha flinched at the sudden rush of anger at the thought of the man. _He had touched her_, the image of last night rushed through his mind in a blinding red. The hanyou shook his head, causing the girl to look at him inquiringly, what was the matter? Why would he care _who_ touched the wench? It made no difference to him, she was nothing. 

"What's wrong?" he heard the girl ask, the same words as those she had said to him the first night of their encounter, yet now with a hint of worry in her voice. 

Worry? From a Hunter that had wanted him dead? 

"None of your business." He snapped, masking the confusing with his usual arrogance. The girl stiffen by the slightest fraction by his side. Then the weight beside him shifted and he felt her standing up. 

"I'm going to get some sleep," he heard her inform, her voice quite against the still room. Inuyasha turned back to her, yet finding that she had already slipped away. He stared blankly after her turned back, had she been somehow offended by what he had said? It _was_ none of her business after all! The door of her room slammed forcefully from somewhere out of his sight and Inuyasha sighed, the human mind was difficult to interpret. 

Eyes surveyed his surrounding, white walls that lacked decoration, yesterday's food left unfinished on the tables, piles of junk layered into the corner. She was rather untidy for a human, Inuyasha decided, much more less organized than the houses that he had stole from in the past. Though it seemed that she had lived here for quite a while, alone perhaps? The girl's scent was everywhere, in the couch, on the bandaged, in the air, her scent and the faint wisps of scent of the two Hunters that had left. 

He chuckled inwardly, so much for a being a Hunter, the older female, Sango, as he had suspected, was a youkai, a traitor of her own race. 

Why? He had asked, out of curiosity before she had left, not that he had really cared about what she hunted, it wasn't unusual, after all, for youkais to kill each other on sight. But what had puzzled him was why she had sided with a weak specie such as the humans. 

"I.." she had replied after a moment of hesitation. "I have no wish to be alone..again." 

It startled him, that a youkai other than him had understood the meaning of loneliness, an emotion not many of his kind possessed, though instead of seeking company, he chose to hide that feeling.

Such emotions only made him weak. Just as it had with the female youkai, her forming an invisible bond with the human girl, with that of an inferior specie. Though it was some bond, he knew, a youkai vowing to protect another even without the promise of the Mark. But then, didn't the girl risk her own life to save the female youkai?

__

Didn't he risk his life to save the girl?

It was not an option whether to save her or not, he debated, an unavoidable action because of the promise. But _why_ the fear for the Hunter when she stood on the lines of life and death? _Why_ was there no trace of doubt for his own life when he rushed forward? 

*~*~*~*

It was a dream that she recognized. Her surrounding landscape, the ancient sakura tree standing, with it's flower covered branches reaching towards the heavens 

__

Kagome was on the top of a hill in her dream, with the sun, sending warm rays of light onto the parts of her skin that were not covered by her sky blue kimono. 

She was waiting.

__

For what? For who?

That she did not know, but at least she knew she was waiting, she was always waiting. For at times whoever she was waiting for would turn up, at least a shadow of him would. His back turned towards her with his black haori whipping in the wind. 

Then there was the longing that didn't belong to her, her soul would cry out to him with such emptiness that shook her core, a cry begging for the figure to turn back, begging for him to look at her.. 

Why such emotion? Who was he? Her mind sought the answer from its depth, a level that was not part of her conscience. Yet she found only resistance, a lock without a key. Why try to hide? She asked that part of her that she had not been aware of before, after all, that part was still a fragment of her.. correct?

There was no reply, her body shifted, a movement involuntary to her. But she accepted that, it had always been like that, this particular dream, she was not in control of her own body, she was merely an observer. An observer forever waiting for the event to happen, yet forever disappointed.

"Show me," she murmured in her mind and she felt her body flinch. "Show me!" she repeated, this time more forcefully, almost commanded-like as a rush of impatience washed over her. Why the impatience? Kagome couldn't help wondering, she had waited all those years.. why the impatience now? 

It.. it was as though.. someone had wanted her to find out..

Someone too, was done with waiting. 

The resistance stood still for a second, then collapsed.. Yet there was no change to sunny surrounding about Kagome, no change in the rain of pale pedals from the Sakura tree..

"Midoriko"

__

Her mind jumped at the sound of the voice, yet her body turned toward it as though recongnising the name. Someone was standing behind her. Inuyasha? No, not Inuyasha, the man had lacked the silver hair and golden eyes of the hanyou, he was human. Yet the features of him and Inuyasha had held striking similarities

"You are late!" the word seemed to jump out of her mouth by itself, a overwhelming gladness came over her, she didn't care whether he was late or not.. she was simply gratified that he was here.

"Will you ever forgive me, my lady?"

Kagome felt a smile forming across her lips, the happiness was infectious, dissolving the thousands of question that had formed in her mind. Who was this man? Who was Midoriko? .. Who was.. she?… what was.. why is... It was slipping, Kagome knew, yet strangely, she didn't seem to mind her conscience been taken over.. she would allow it.. just once.

Her body moved towards the man, sinking into his arms. "Of course," she murmured as she snuggled against him. Neither said much more after that, both lost in their own thoughts. Doubtful thoughts, aching thoughts.

"Is.. everything?" She finally broke the silence, unable to hold onto the question any longer.

"Yes," he answered, evidently thinking of the same thing she had been wondering. "I'll go tomorrow."

"..I..see.." she buried her face in his black haori, hiding the overflowing tears that had appeared without warning in her eyes, an overwhelming emptiness, an immense sense of loneliness. She had promised herself that she would not cry today, too. 

It was then she felt strong hands against her shoulder, lifting her until her eyes met with his purple ones. She loved those eyes, how they glittered when he laughed, how they deepened in colour when he was in thought.

"Don't cry," he murmured to her, "I'll come back.. for you.. I ..promise."

I Promise...

*~*~*~*

Her eyes fluttered open, immediately she knew something was not right, instead of the normal empty space on her side, it was filled.. by the sleeping features of the hanyou.

Fury rose even before the worries of what the hanyou had done to her in her sleep and she half rose, preparing to kick him off the bed in her most aggressive manner. Yet the movement had obvious alarmed Inuyasha and his eyes flew open. But instead of scrambling for his life, he laid, unmoving, watching Kagome with a steady gaze

__

"Why the surprise, Midoriko? You are already.. mine."

*~*~*~*

End of chapter 6 – When Dreams

AN: That was one of my long chapters to make up for the long interval in between updates, I assure you there won't be too many of those. 

To every one that thought Inuyasha was talking to Kikyou.. -_-;;;. I probably would change the story to suit the prediction, but everything I have posted up to now was written before I decided to post the story onto ff.net so I really couldn't make any big changes or I'd be writing the entire fic again. 

The second part of the chapter in itallic was Kagome's dream, it might seem a little weird, but it _is_ a dream!

*~*~*~*

insomni-maniac: wow, I'm touched.. 

Kay Kylo: ^_^

Death's essence: I know the intervals between updates are becoming longer, but I'll make up for it with longer chapter.. sorry.

bonessasan: Inuyasha wasn't the one being hunted, he just happen to rock along..

ssp51201: some good observations you had there, since this story is a Au, I have no obligations to link it to the actual plot of the anime, though it does link.. Sango is a youkai btw. 

sashlea : one does kind of feel sorry for Hojou..* kicks stupid guilty conscience*

To everyone that reviewed, thank you so very much!. And to everyone who commented that I don't update, I am sorry.. 

Btw: exams next week and the week after, but I'll update again after the exams. 

RicePaper


	7. You Are Not

****

Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 7- You are not

__

He watched her expression change from that of anger to confusion, a slight frown crossing her brows. His eyes sought the depth of the dark pools of brown, for the slightest hint of recognition, the slightest evidence of her returned memory. Yet only finding a reflection of her confused mind, he sighed, no, she hadn't remembered as he had hoped she would, but that was fine. 

It was only the beginning. 

__

He felt the mattress beneath him move slightly as she shifted in her position, pushing against the bed in an attempt to increase the distance between them. His eyes followed her, showing mild hints of his amusement. "You cannot run away any more, Midoriko," he purred, his hand reached out and held onto hers. "This game you have played for centuries, I will end it now."

"My name.. is Kagome," she replied with hesitation, flinching from his touch but not fighting it as her body relaxed, her eyes fixed and seemingly hypnotized by his. Yes, he mouthed, there had been no need to fight in the first place, it didn't matter what she called herself, she would always be the same to him. 

Always..

Slowly, his hand moved until their fingers intertwined, golden eyes watched the hard lines of her face soften as she exhaled deeply, her grip tightening gently in his hand. He smiled, there was just no way she could resist, despite what she had said, Midoriko was so very responsive.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her beautiful face, still the same as he had remembered it hundreds of years ago, her skin was still pale and smooth under his touch, her hair as dark as the raven's wings. "I have waited for long.." he whispered as he leaned closer, breathing in her scent, a mixture of faint lavender and.. and? He inhaled again, refusing to believe in that scent, but it was still there, the salty scent of tears, the copper scent of fear. Eyes shot up to her face, noticing that her eyes were tightly shut, and for the first time, there was a frown across her brow. 

"Midoriko.." he murmured.

Her eyes flew open and he saw watched with horror as her tears threatened to fall, it was as though.. as though he was VIOLATING her. "Why?" he asked, feeling a sharp pain of anguish inside his chest as he watched her pleading eyes. "Why do you not accept me?"

Her head moved from side to side in a shaking motion, sending tears sliding down her cheek and sinking into her pillow. "Don't.. do it.." she whispered, "Inuyasha.."

Inu..yasha? At the sound of the name, he felt the other part of him stirring into wakefulness. He knew then, that he was not the one she recognized. Instead, she saw only his reincarnation, the silver haired hanyou. 

*~*~*~*

She watched his expression change on his face, saw the anguish and pain in his eyes. He was not Inuyasha, Kagome was certain now, the hanyou would never look at her like that. The mark is only a promise, it doesn't foster fondness.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked in a tiny voice as she felt his grip releasing her hand and that she could move again. He didn't answer, but instead closed his eyes. 

Silence beheld the room for a moment before she heard him speak again, yet instead of sadness, she sensed a hint of worry, a hint of fear. "Run," he murmured, his eyes still tightly shut as though he was struggling with something, something that fought to surface. "Get away!" his voice rose into a yell as his hand went to her shoulders and pushed her off the mattress. "_Run!"_

She rolled and managed to drop onto her feet, eyes wide with puzzlement. "Inuyasha?" she inquired and saw his eyes slowly open at the name. Yet to her shock, there were no longer a bright shade of gold, but instead.. a cold purple..

"_Midoriko," he said._

"I'm _not_ Midoriko!", she had screamed at him then, the person that seemed to have dwelled beneath Inuyasha's conscience. "It's Kagome! Ka-go-me!" The Hunter stopped, why did she care what he had called her? Why had she been concerned of what she was in the eyes of the hanyou? Kagome shook herself in her mind, no, she didn't care, there was no reason why she would have given a damn what a filthy youkai thought of her. 

Hand went to her dagger. A Hunter must be prepared at all times, she had been taught at a young age. A Hunter must always keep their guard up, even when they are with someone they trust. Kagome held the blade up in front of her, both of her hands gripping the hilt, attempting to steady the tremor that extended from her arm and all the way to her fingers. 

__

Even those that they trusted.. it is always the hardest..

But she hadn't taken that advice, she had allowed her defense to drop, even against a sworn enemy. Was it because she was loosing her touch as a Hunter.. or had it been because.. she had..trusted..

Trusted..

She tasted the salty blood from the insides of her mouth. Trusted? She had hated the youkai race, hated the hanyou. She had been unable to eliminate Sango, but she had an excuse, Sango was friend, perhaps family, too. But the hanyou? There was no connection between him and her, he was a outsider, the same as any youkai she came across.. but if that had been the case..

..then why did it hurt, so deeply.. in her heart..?

*~*~*~*

End of Chapter 7- You are not

*~*~*~*

AN: It's been a while since I have been on ff.net, thank you everyone for the patience of waiting for the update. As I have said last time, the past few weeks was drowned in exam cramming so there was just no way I had time to write.

Jade Catseye: yes, Kagome is Midoriko's reincarnation in this fic, but I guess Kikyou would also be one of the reincarnations of Midoriko before Kagome

sashlea : how true

Nishigirl: thank you

X-with stars: Kagome and Kikyou both are Midoriko's reincarnations, just at different time periods. Miroku is human and he doesn't really know Sango's identity. I'm limiting the number of characters I use because it's easier to write (and because I', lazy), so the other characters you have mentioned may not be in this story.

Death's essence: yeah ^_^ ;; Midoriko is the mate, (well not really) of the person who reincarnated to Inuyasha. It's kind of a rip off from the original series from the part about Midoriko and how the Shikon no Tama was created. They said Midoriko had a lover, it's just that I'm not sure what his name was.. 

insomni-maniac: That's alright, I sneaked on ff.net a couple of times at school as well until it was banned from the school computers. When Inuyasha like a crack head, he had remembered stuff about his past.

Brie : No, Kagome doesn't have another name, she is the reincarnation of Midoriko who was a miko from the feudal Japan.

Jeanniestorm: Yes, Midoriko is the priestess that was the Shikon no Tama and Inuyasha did say that last line out aloud. (which would have freaked Kagome out)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed

RicePaper


	8. Game

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and characters in this story

Chapter 8 - Game

It was going to rain. Angry storm clouds rolled across the sky, forming clusters so large that the blueness of the sky could no longer be seen. Gusts of wind milled along the deserted sidewalk that had been busy only a while ago, instead, people had found shelters to escape the worst of the storm. 

His silver hair whipped back and forth as the wind danced with it, through the opened window. Purple eyes hard as he watched the girl before him with a mixture of bitterness and anger. _She doesn't remember.. at all. _He knew and that alone was enough to bring out the worst of him. 

Centuries, he had waited for her to reappear for centuries and she had played with him, reincarnating into forms that was almost a mirror image of her old self, her dark brown eyes, her black hair, highlighted with streaks of midnight blue. But never had she really been there, alerting him of her presence but never really fully solidifying, always managing to drift away from him like wisps of smoke through his fingers.

__

And now she was doing it again..

Why?

"Midoriko" 

She did not reply this time, but merely looked at him with those dark brown eyes that he could never seem to forget, the dagger that she had held the first night he had met her in her shaking hand. 

Denial yet again, why hadn't Midoriko waited for him.. back then, right now.. why was it that every of her reincarnations greet him with a blade that threatened to end his life. Why wouldn't she just allow him…? 

He stepped forward, almost subconsciously and watched her move back simultaneously, almost dance like, her body tensed, knees slightly bend, her heart thumping with the howling wind outside. He knew that sound too well, yes, the same thumping as a deer that he had hunted, or a rabbit, cowering at the dead end and knowing there would be no escape from him. The real Midoriko would never do that, not even a reincarnation of her. Fight as they may at every one of his attempts to draw out the woman he loved, but cower? 

No.. Midoriko hid from no one, cowered away from no one.

So, was the girl that stood before him..

__

Really the reincarnation of Midoriko? 

"You're not Inuyasha.. are you?" he heard her ask with a slight tremor in her voice. His lips forming a faint smile, not of amusement but tease. Inuyasha, huh? It appeared that she still had no idea who he really was, or what he was capable of doing. Perhaps he was mistaken after all, perhaps she was just a girl that had the same appearance of the priestess, perhaps he had failed yet again to find her. "No," he replied, though wondering vaguely why she had asked that, and with such sadness burning in her eyes too when he had answered. Had it not been the hanyou, his reincarnated form that vexed her most? Had it not been his hanyou form that kept her away the most?

*~*~*~*

He was.. not Inuyasha. Not the youkai she had tracked for the past two month. Perhaps there had never been anyone called Inuyasha in the beginning? The hanyou who attacked her, the hanyou who had saved her.. all which had happened were merely games played..

__

For what? What was his purpose?

To hurt her? To humiliate a Hunter? If so, he had succeeded. 

"Then, when you saved me from that youkai.." She whispered, suddenly unable to find the strength to say the words out aloud. _It.. was just a game you played.._ It was so foolish of her to believe his every words.. so foolish to believe that she had felt the slightest trust in a youkai..

__

"I think we might be soulmates"

Liar! That too had been part of the game, she had never believed in the existence of soulmates, just like fairies and magic were only part of her realm of fantasy. _Yet.. yet.._ _Why do those golden eyes continue to appear in her mind, the eyes that held nothing but sincerity..?_

"What game are you playing?" she cried. It had been a natural question from a Hunter, but it was not just her Hunter's instinct who wanted to know, she too wanted to hear the answer. Why simply hurt her when he could have simply killed her. What was he attempting to achieve by gaining her trust then throwing it away?

"Playing?" he replied with mock surprise. "What makes you think that I am merely playing?" His form suddenly blurred away in front of her eyes and before she could react, he was standing right behind her. _He's fast! _Her mind cried out in alarm as she felt his sharp claws brushing against the side of her cheek, heard him whispering down her neck. "I was very serious from the beginning.."

"For what purpose?" Kagome asked, her voice held tension as his nails slowly move towards the side of her throat, gliding across her skin leisurely, as thought he was enjoying her fear and unease. The slender hand that still gripped her dagger moved ever so slightly and stopped, was it wise to attack and risk having her throat cut out?

"For purposes that you will never comprehend," he snapped, seeming to loosing his temper abruptly, yet with words spoken with hints of bitterness and disappointment that she recognised. Kagome stopped and considered it, it was a emotion that she had felt, so long ago.. waiting by the side of the burnt down house that she had once called home, calling and waiting, holding onto the slightest hope that others may still alive.. 

__

It had hurt.. waiting for ones that were never to return…

__

It had hurt.. waiting in the darkness alone…

It had hurt when the thread of hope snapped..

Yet.. even back then.. that emotion was not unfamiliar.

Perhaps she had felt it before.. in another lifetime?

Outside, the roar of thunder ripped through the silence, a few splashes of raindrops bounced onto the emptied streets before the sound became louder and louder, seconds later sheet of rain crashed down..

*~*~*~*

****

End of chapter 8 -Game

AN: Ok, so nothing much happened in this chapter, blame it on the writer's block. I am actually considering a change in the genre.. to perhaps tragedy? Well.. it won't be too tragic.. since this story is originally based on another one I wrote a while ago but never posted because it went nowhere and that one was heading toward tragedy. 

Death's essence: yep, I think you are right, but I'm not too sure about the pairing anymore..

as sweet as sin can be: thank you

EvilBunnies1: you are pretty much right, except Midoriko and her lover didn't betray each other. (does it sound like they betrayed each other in the story?)

Queen Beryl: you got it

kokoro : I'm sorry.. I'll do a bit better next time

angelic-design216: You think? Hm.. keep on reading ^_^

Cosmik: ^_^ Inuyasha told her to leave because she was in danger as his 'other form' was taking over Inuyasha. With Kagome.. were you talking about Sango? Sango didn't really betray Kagome, she just didn't tell Kagome everything about herself.

xo-Kagome-ox: thank you

Lets-Play-With-Matches: ^_^ will consider this one

sweet little country girl (jak_hell@hotmail.com): no ,Kagome wasn't hurt

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and was patient with my slow updating/ short chapters.

RicePaper


	9. Answer

Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 9 – Answer

For a second the girl was silent, as though considering what he had said. It was the truth, she would never comprehend his purpose, even if he had explained it to her, she would never conceive how he had felt, merely waiting, and waiting.. watching the distant horizon for that figure to appear. Nor would she ever understand his disappointment of the fruitless search as the stars appear one by one in the cold night sky, distant as his goal

But he had promised…

That summer afternoon when the sun showered the both of them in its glory, when he held her in his arms and looked into her dark brown eyes that were glittering with tears, when he murmured beside her ear those words that became his only purpose..

I will come back..

I will come back for you..

I promise..

He sighed inwardly, though not allowing it to reach his lips, eyes reverted to the form of the girl and he was surprised that she was looking straight at him, seemingly forgetting that his claws were still against her neck. For a moment he considered simply killing her, in fact, had her appearance not resembled that of Midoriko's he would have killed her already. If she was not Midoriko as she herself had said so, there was no real reason to let her live and it was proper to silence her, he was, after all, her enemy in this lifetime.

"It does appear that I have made a mistake in believing that you were Midoriko.." He told her. It seemed necessary to tell her this, he didn't really want her to die not knowing why. "I do not make this sort of mistake often and I do not think that I will make the same mistake again.

She looked at him with questioning eyes, he didn't blame her, it was too bad that she had resembled Midoriko, too bad that she was born an enemy of youkais.

"We cannot both exist knowing the identity of each other.." he had intended to continue, but she had turned away again so that their eyes no longer met. Her head lowered a little as though in acknowledgment, as though she understood the purpose of his little speech. Perhaps she had accepted the fate also? He pressed his nail harder onto her skin but not yet breaking the skin, if he made it fast, she wouldn't have to endure the pain. It was too bad for the girl, he had told himself, too bad she was only a mistake..

He could feel her artery that pumped with each beat of her heart beneath his claws and aimed, moving the sharp points directly above the target. _If he made it fast - _and he would, he promised, she would not feel the agony of death as he once had... He inhaled slightly and pushed down, preparing for the spray of blood and the slumping of her body that would surely follow…

Yet the seemingly hollow silence held, only brought alive by his own breathing and the drumming of blood in his ears. He waited, one second, two seconds and looked down. His hand hasn't moved from her neck, nor had it cut her as he had aimed to do so, it was as though an invisible force was barring him, stopping him. He tried again, forcing his claws into her vulnerable neck, yet his hand refused to move.

Slowly, the realisation dawned, together with a sense of surprise and bewilderment. He was being stopped, by the hanyou in him.

The feeling of acceptance, as though accepting the destiny that had been determined hundreds of years ago seeped into her, draining the strength to lash out at the youkai from her. _She was welcoming fate as she had so long ago. Waiting with the same placidity with her bow dangling loosely by one hand, eyes fixed on the single figure slowly approaching. No longer was she willing to fight back, no longer was she willing to wait, even when she knew it was only his shell that drew near, a shell that had been taken over by the thousands of youkai that sought revenge.._ _yet what matter did it make? He had come back.. for her.._

A single tear slid down the side of her cheek and she felt his claws press harder, right next to artery on her neck. It felt numb against her skin.. _the pain inside was greater_.. the helpless longing and emptiness bubbling towards the surface.. a emotion that she knew had not belonged to her. _Midoriko? _She asked herself, the hidden part of her only visible in her dream, when the conscious part of her gave away to the subconscious.. _was I really Midoriko? The girl whom Inuyasha.. no.. the soul inside Inuyasha had sought?_

She listened to the question echo inside her mind, asking what seemed to be the second soul inside her shell. The figure that had she had been again and again in her dream slowly surfaced in her mind's eye.. The slender figure in a sky blue kimono..__

She gazed at the ghostly shape, so it had been.. true..Kagome sighed.. the hanyou had not been wrong when he called her Midoriko, his soul mate. Even when her pale features showed nothing, Kagome could sense the continual longing radiating from the miko, the yearning for the soul within the youkai who was readying to slay her. Yet why hadn't the Midoriko within her responded to his call? Why was the soul of a human able to overtake the shell of the hanyou whilst the miko laid dormant?

- yet what matter did it make? He had come back.. for her.. -

Acceptance.. The emotion struck her, had Midoriko been satisfied that day? Had she been satisfied by the mere appearance of the man? Even when she knew..

Yet if that had been the case..

Then why were you crying? Why are you still longing? What were you waiting for?

There was no reply from the figure that Kagome questioned, the sound of her own voice echo in the silence of the answer.

He really hadn't came back that day…did he?

The blue aura shuddered as though she had flinched away from those words.. _the belief that had held her down. _Kagome watched her, knowing that she had finally gotten through to the miko, yet she was not done.

Then why were you satisfied? She questioned again.

Why do you accept it knowing the truth?

Tears welled up in her eyes, Midorikos tears? Or were they her own? Was she crying with the longing soul in her? Feelings that had been locked up, pushed away in denial, forced down by acceptance.. the feeling she constantly experienced in the realm of dreams. _Midoriko's emotions.. _A small part of her sighed.. they where not her emotions in the first place, on the night she first met the silver haired hanyou, the moment he saved her from the youkai.. those building emotions she had denied and rejected again and again towards the hanyou.. were not really hers..

Were they?

Kagome forced her thoughts away from it, it wasn't really a good time to consider it at this moment. She had another job to complete, she knew, not as a taijia, not as a youkai hunter but herself.. the person who she was. Slowly, she pushed her attention towards the ghostly figure of the miko with a single thought

He is here.. he has come back for you now..

Don't regret again..

End of chapter 9- Answer

AN: Been a while hasn't it … --;;; I know.. I haven't forgotten the story, just didn't have time to finish the chapter ect ect.. exams, assignments .. games ..

Anyways.. I mentioned tragedy last time and got 4-5 reviews saying no.. I suppose it's not fair to change the genre right at the end of a fic, so the genre will stay as it is.. don't worry.

RoseGodess9: wow, that's a lot of criticism in one go. Ok, might take a while to justify all the mistakes you pointed out, some of them I won't be able to and will change.. (eventually, when I have the time to find the mistakes, change and upload. Not any time soon)Japanese vocabulary (I just assumed most people will know since they use it quite a bit in the anime - the Jap version, but I suppose I should have put in the meaning)

Jyaki- youkai powers, aura

Taijya – youkai hunter

Inuyasha passing out: when someone makes a hole in you stomach, it hurts, you loose a lot of blood ect ect and you faint due to the loss of blood and pain.

Grammar mistakes: point some of it out, I proof read some of the chapter and grammar mistakes should have been picked up sometimes, be more specific about what the mistakes are, the way you have put it, it seems that the entire story is made up of grammar mistakes.

Beginning of chapter 8 – well, yah.. I know, sounds weird..

kokoro : --;;;

Lets-Play-With-Matches: TT.. um.. I'll.. try to make it less confusing? So sorry! I've kinda noticed the problem since I haven't updated in a while.. when I went back to read the entire story.. I got really confused to where it's going too.. but! It's all good now.. I hope

sashlea : Midoriko's erm.. original lover straight from the anime.

Shin: In the original anime, Midoriko's lover did kill her, but he was possessed by youkais when he did it. Midoriko knew he was possessed and fought the youkai inside of him for .. think it's 7 days before they were both killed. Hmm.. could be wrong, you might have to look it up if you haven't seem the anime version of it.

THANK YOU to EVERYONE who reviewed, and I know there was a lot of you who did, Thank you for the support.

RicePaper


	10. Promise

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 10- Promise

The warm glow, in the palest blue began in her chest and seeped through her veins with each pump of her heart, Kagome inhaled, feeling herself slowly slipping back, letting her body loose control. She watched the hanyou through eyes that had been opened for her, watched his expression change to one of surprise as the blue aura grew stronger and stronger.

"_I am here.."_ her lips formed the words and she heard the melodic voice of her dreams, yet the heart breaking longing was gone.. Kagome closed her mind's eyes.. after all those years, she would give Midoriko some time alone…

Images, like moving pictures flashed by in her mind, images of the priestess clothed in the palest blue standing on that sunlit hill, yet her eyes were no longer on the distant horizon waiting for the one to appear.. This time..

There was..

There was someone beside her..

The man who had resembled Inuyasha so much stood beside the miko, no more the man who had intended to kill her.. his arm enclosed around Midoriko shoulders protectively as the gentle breeze played with her dark hair, carrying the scent of wild flowers that dotted the green hills..

Already, she was beginning to feel lighter, as though the burden that had been imposed on her lightened. Even as she closed herself away from the world, she could _feel_ Midoriko's light fusing with that from the soul in the hanyou.. _a blue light fusing with red.._ _a burst of bell like laugher.. _Kagome smiled inwardly as the last of the weight lifted from her, her eyes opened and she was amazed to see the entire room filled with violet light, within that light, a scarlet sphere orbited. _Red and blue fused together.. two souls together.. once again.._

Are you happy? Kagome asked the space before her. There was no reply, instead, the aura intensified until she was almost blinded by it. Then, as abruptly as it was shown to her, it began to fade until the room was once again dark from the rain outside.

Kagome looked at the scarlet sphere, small and delicate in her hands, she sank to her knees and wept. Deep inside, she knew her job was done.

His youkai senses adjusted slowly and he blinked, forcing the last of the light from his eyes. Inuyasha exhaled, feeling full control of his body again. He gazed down at the weeping girl, resisting the urge to hold her, to stop the trembling of her body.. but will she trust him again? After all that had happened, he wasn't sure if he could trust his own body again.. _he almost.._

Amost..

Almost killed her.. if he had not been successful in stopping the soul within him, his claws would be stained with blood.. _Her blood!_ Inuyasha shuddered at the thought, he had been _weak_, despite all the promised he made, he was weak, so weak that he was unable to stop a human soul from taking over..

He stood up slowly, possibly it was better if he left, perhaps right now, before she could look at him again. Inuyasha turned, his bare foot sliding on the tiled floor and stopped, _go_! He commanded to himself, better to leave that to hurt her more..

Yet he couldn't leave, he was unable to keep the soul from hurting her before, but at least, he would make sure that she was not alone again..

She felt hands cupping her cheeks, lifting her head up with a gentleness she had never felt before. She did not resist, slowly she lifted her eyes until it met the depth of the pools of gold before her. The hanyou, a small part of her registered this and she wondered why he was still here.

"I.." he murmured, his own voice sounded unsure to Kagome as though she hadn't heard it for years.

"Why are you still here," she said, not as a question, but more or an invitation for him to leave. Everything would go back to normal now, she would pretend that she had never known the hanyou.. after all, there were no more reasons for them to be together.

His golden eyes flicked, as though he had been struck by her words. She said nothing more to intensify this, yet her face showed no emotion. She had her old mask on.

"You.. really hated me.." he replied.

"As would any Hunter," she had plan to tell him this in her old Hunter's voice, yet she was shocked to hear that the words had came out in a whisper, almost full of sorrow. Why.. She asked herself, _why regret?_ The same emotion she had felt within Midoriko.. Midorikos emotions? But.. but the miko was no longer here..

Unless..

"I she heard him begin, yet instead of continuing, his voice trailed to a stop. From the corner of her eye, she watched his head lower, as though in defeat.

"I.. didn't intend," Inuyasha murmured, yet was there any use explaining? She had answered him in such a manner that left no more room for explanation. She cannot forgive him for trying to hurt her, he knew.. if he had been her, he wouldn't have forgiven himself either..

"Of course you haven't intended," she replied, his head jerked up and a flood of hope rush through him. Perhaps she understands… perhaps she understood his attempt to prevent the soul's act of hurting her after all.

"You.. understand?" He asked.

"You didn't intended to do anything," she whispered, brushing his hand away. "It wasn't you from the beginning, you weren't the one who did all those things to me.. you weren't really the one who saved me that night."

"But we're.. soul.."

"We are nothing," she said, so coldly that Inuyasha fought back a shudder. "Don't you get it.. our meeting was a mere coincident, if the soul of Midoriko's lover had not been inside you, we would have _never_ met."

Inuyasha said nothing, the hand that had been brushed away hung loosely by his side, he formed a fist with it, so hard that the nails bit into the palm of his hand. She was right, he knew, their meeting as just coincident, she had no reason to consider him as anything. _There were really no reason why he should feel.._

Feel..

Feel those emotions that had formed, unknown to him that night she was attacked by the rogue youkai..

The emotions that made him take the blow.. made his blood boil at the thought of her being hurt..

Kagome felt tears welling in her eyes again. Those works had meant to hurt, to hurt him the way he had hurt her.. for allowing the soul take over, for allowing the emotions that hurt her form. She didn't understand, why didn't the feelings go away, even when she knew it wasn't him.. why should she have feelings towards him when all of his action, from the very moment she met him, were not really his? It wasn't Inuyasha who had saved her, or bitten her but the soul that took over him.

Yet those words.. they had meant to hurt him, yet it was hurting her so many times more..

Watching the down cast expression on his features, watching the movement of his hand.. she wanted to deny everything she had said.. to.. to..

But I am a Hunter! She cried out to herself.. those emotions.. they were very wrong.

She was so foolish..

The rain outside continued, how long had he been in her home? She wondered vaguely, others would come for her soon, perhaps for another mission. _She didn't want him to be caught.._ Yet why would she give a damn whether he was caught or not? Kagome was suddenly angry with herself. Why would she care whether he lived or died?

She heard him move, heard the ruffle of his red haori as he stood up, there were no more words, nothing more from him. He was leaving her.. perhaps never to return.

Don't.. regret.. again.

The phrase rang out in her mind and she looked on at his turned back that seemed so familiar.. so similar to the one in her dream.. Had that been what had happened to Midoriko.. two people unable to express their feelings? She had wondered why Midoriko had not returned the man's call.. yet now..

Was she doing the same as what Midoriko had once done? Rejecting the feelings that was building up inside?

Don't regret again..

"I.." she said in a voice so small that she wondered if he had heard, his ears twitched and he turned, looking at her inquiringly. Kagome glanced out the window at the raindrops hitting the pathway..

"It's still raining, you'll get wet…" she said, forcing her voice to sound casual, yet she knew there was no stopping the overflowing emotions that seeped into her voice, her eyes, her movement. She gazed up at the warmth in his golden eyes and her lips formed the word..

"..Stay"

The End

AN: It's finished at last!! The dividers won't show up when I uploaded this, but it still makes some sense I guess.. hehe, the ending's pretty bad, but since I can't think of anything better I'm just leaving it like that. It's open ended, leave you guys to think up the rest. Lol. I don't think there will be a sequel to it, even if I do decide to write one, it won't be until a veeery long time after, so don't count on it.

Thanks:

Thanks to everyone who read the fic and waited for the sloooow updates

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! Especially everyone who reviewed regularly, you know who you are!

Thanks to ninjalara for keeping me updated with news.


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